Finally A Daughter, Finally A Mom
by MKAmericanhero
Summary: When Mal and Ben got engaged, Belle said that she would finally get a daughter and this was born from that. What it would look like for each of these women to have each other in their lives.
1. Chapter 1

**I have other stories that need to be loved and updated, but this popped into my head when Ben and Mal got engaged and Belle said she finally gets a daughter.**

The party with their friends and the new arrivals from the Isle had died down, but the engagement party that catered to the leaders of other lands and longtime allies and friends of Ben's parents was underway. It had been a long day for Mal; not bad, just long and the enormity of what she had taken on hit her. Being Queen of Auradon was big enough, but add the Isle to that and top it off with planning a wedding and her head began to spin just trying to keep it all straight. Mal excused herself for a few minutes and went and sat on one of the balconies overlooking the rose garden.

"I see you found my hiding spot." Mal turned and was surprised to see Belle standing in the doorway smiling at her.

"I love seeing Ben in his element and I know I have to get used to it, but Ben was born in this world, with this expectation as part of his childhood. I wasn't prepared to rule anything except the Isle so this party, is a little…"

"Overwhelming, boring, tedious?" Belle smiled and laughed at Mal's expression. "Don't look so shocked, I did call this my hiding spot after all. You my dear are not the first Queen to find some peace and quiet on this balcony and I promise you won't be the last. Besides, you weren't wrong as a child: after your coronation, you will be the ruler of the Isle of the Lost."

"I promise you that back in the day I just assumed I'd be taking that title by force and no crown would be involved."

"And yet, here you are: engaged and on your way to being Queen of Auradon." Mal ran her hand against the smooth stone of the railing as Belle spoke.

"Not sure what scares me more: being a terrible queen or being a terrible wife."

"What gives you the idea that you won't be brilliant at both of those roles?"

Mal shrugged, "I've only had honest and true self-esteem for about 3 years, better known as the day we came here. Don't get me wrong, plenty of parents on the Isle were good parents, but if you got dealt some top tier villains as parents, you didn't grow up learning to value yourself. Like at all. Only child of a fallen god and the 'Mistress of all Evil'…Even if my dad had stayed, I don't think my upbringing would've been anything to brag about."

Belle looked a little worse for having heard that, "honey, I am so sorry. If we had known what was going to happen to you all we would've been more careful with how we handled creating the Isle."

Mal tried to pretend it didn't bother her, "it's not like it was your fault."

"It kind of was honey. I didn't like that we never seemed to regulate anything on the Isle except the embargo, but I never said anything about it. Silence in the face of something awful always benefits the oppressor."

"Even still. Our parents made decisions that you and Adam had nothing to do with and from personal experience those decisions left much deeper scars than living on the Isle ever did."

"I'm sorry Mal."

"My mother made her choice. It just so happened her choice was not to be much of a mother. Don't worry about it though, I survived." Mal forced a smile and Belle felt more and more guilty by the minute.

"You did survive and you grew up into a wonderful young woman, but honey, you don't have to make your childhood struggle seem not as bad just to make me feel better. You certainly don't have to share any of it with me, I'm sure you have all the support you need in Ben and your friends, but Adam and I are here too and we love you too." Belle got the impression Mal wanted some actual time alone so she got up and pointed to the doorway, "I should go make sure Adam isn't accidently taking over Ben's job. Take all the time you want out here honey, one queen to another."

Belle winked and started to leave, but Mal stopped her.

"Did you mean it?"

Belle looked puzzled, "did I mean what dear?"

"When Ben proposed. You said that you finally get a daughter. Did you mean it?" Belle realized that a comment she made in passing had touched Mal in a way that Belle had never thought about. She sat back down and patted Mal's hands.

"When I first found out I was pregnant with Ben I didn't know he was a boy, I just knew I was going to have a baby. That alone was exciting and scary enough. Of course most of the rulers wanted a prince: they lived with the ancient way of thought that only a man could wear the crown. Adam and I were just thrilled to be parents, but a small part of me wished for a girl. When we did find out we were having a boy I was so happy, but I never stopped wishing for a little girl, but it just never happened for us and so my focus was on being a good mother to my son. As he got older I turned my dream to maybe, one day, having a good relationship with his wife and sort of having a daughter in my daughter in law. When Ben was with Audrey, I tried to feel that pull towards her, but I never did. She was always trying far too hard to be Queen when she was still a child who had learned little about what the role meant. When you came around things were different. I know things started off rocky, but once you settled down with Ben and found your purpose here, you began to act like a ruler without the title. I felt that pull towards you at Ben's coronation and it never went away. So, yes honey, I meant it."

"I haven't been anyone's daughter in a long time. I mean, I don't know if my mom ever really embraced having a daughter and being loved from a far by my dad only amounts to so much. Guess I wasn't worth much to either of them." Belle hated that Mal had that kind of a thought about herself, but she knew saying it wasn't true wouldn't change things in Mal's heart.

"Let me tell you something honey. I lost my mother before I ever really knew her so I only ever had my father growing up, but I HAD him and no human being ever loved a child more than he loved me. I'm sorry your parents never valued the wonderful child they brought into the world, but the jokes on them sweetheart because you are amazing and watching you grow up would've been a gift to any other parent."

"You don't know that. I was kind of a brat growing up."

"Were you a brat or did your mother call you that?" Mal opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out. Something that answered Belle's question without words.

"I thought so. Listen honey, I'm not here to replace your mother, but it would make me very happy to love you like you were my own. So, hell yeah I meant it that I finally get a daughter and nothing is ever going to change that in my mind or my heart so whether or not you were a brat, you my dear, are stuck with me till I die. Okay?" Mal looked Belle in the eye and studied her face for a moment.

"Promise?"

Belle brushed Mal's hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead, "I promise." Mal quite promptly collapsed into her soon to be mother in law's arms and cried. She cried for more reasons that she could really put into words in that moment, but somewhere in Belle's heart she was willing to bet that she was crying for all times she wanted to cry in her mother's arms only to find no comfort there. They were eventually interrupted when Ben came looking for Mal. He was concerned that his fiancé seemed upset, but felt better after seeing that his mother had things under control. He cleared his throat and Mal slowly sat up and brushed tears off her cheeks.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I couldn't find either of you and I wanted to make sure everything was alright."

"We're just fine honey." Belle assured her son that despite what it looked like, everyone was ok. Mal nodded and stood up to go stand with Ben. "We were just talking. Everything ok inside?"

"All good. People are starting to leave so we can probably wrap things up within the next hour or so. If you are tired though we can bail before then."

"Don't worry about me, I can handle the tail end of a party." Mal winked at Ben and he smiled, gesturing for her to walk ahead of him as they reentered the interior of the castle. Belle smiled as she followed the two inside and she made a mental note to have the groundskeeper replace the bench on that balcony and add some other plants to the space to make it more inviting to the future queen, her daughter in law.

**So my thought was to do a few of these: them before their wedding, coronation and having a baby just to give some mother/daughter fluff to the story. I need to update some other stories but if people like this one then I am on board. **


	2. Finally a Wedding Part 1

**Mentions sexual assault, but not at all in detail.**

Having grown up as a peasant and never having stepped foot inside a castle prior to her meeting Adam, Belle knew all too well how overwhelming a royal wedding can be to a bride who never dealt with the pomp and circumstance of a grand royal events. In the months the preceded her wedding to Ben, Mal was floored when the list of events leading up to the wedding was presented to her. During one meeting one of the wedding planners assured Mal that the majority of the details would be handled for the couple and her job was literally to show up to all these events, rehearsals and of course, the wedding itself. Mal felt relived about that, but part of her was bothered by it. What if she hated the flowers they chose or the food they served? Before she could force herself to object, Belle did for her.

"Kathy, I know you've been doing royal weddings since you were old enough to walk, but this one is different. With all due respect, let's ask Mal if there are any aspects to the wedding that she wants to be in charge of as the bride." The wedding planner seemed nervous at the thought of a woman from the Isle planning a wedding to the reigning King of their land, but the look on Belle's face told her that it was not a request.

Mal thought about it for a moment before answering, "I don't know anything about royal weddings, but I know that there are some thing I want to be my decision and Ben's, not dictated by tradition. If we followed tradition at all I would not be sitting here." This broke the tension in the room and allowed people to relax at the idea of Mal calling the shots on her own wedding.

"Ben and I get to pick the food for the rehearsal and the wedding banquet itself. Evie will be making my dress, full stop, no discussion on that one. And I'd like to pick the flowers for the ceremony. Ben and I will also get last say on anything else pertaining to the ceremony itself." Ben smiled from his seat next to Mal and squeezed her hand.

"You heard your queen, she and I will make the final call on the details. The other mandatory details that have to be followed for legal reasons will be left as is. Any other questions can be directed to me or Mal, but unless anyone objects we can break for the afternoon." Everyone agreed, one way or another and Ben left to quickly attend another meeting so he could be done in time to have dinner with his soon to be wife. As Mal gathered the papers handed to her by the planner Belle lent a hand.

"That was pretty impressive Mal."

"I didn't do anything. You made the room too afraid to oppose me."

"No honey, I made them too afraid to oppose me. Big difference. You stood up for yourself and Ben and YOUR wedding. It is not my big day and the planner has planned every royal wedding since the dawn of time so deep down all she knows is protocol, but at the end of the day only one thing truly matters."

"What?"

"You have to plan this wedding so that 20 years from now you still beam when you tell your children about it. If you aren't radiating light just talking about your wedding then someone else planned it and made it about them. This wedding is about you and Ben, beginning a life and becoming rulers together." Mal nodded, but still looked concerned as she and Belle walked back to the royal family's living quarters.

"I can hear you thinking. What is going on in that brain of yours?" Belle nudged Mal's arm and the young woman smiled.

"I didn't grow up thinking about my wedding. You know how women get engaged and then say that they know the song they want to dance to, the venue, the place they want to go on their honeymoon, how they want their dress to look. I never did that. Having dreams that weren't about world domination was practically illegal in my house so having dreams about an event about love was a big no-no for my mom." Belle understood Mal's predicament to a degree, having grown up in less than lavish circumstances; but even she was allowed the dream of her wedding day. Belle led them into the small library that was exclusively for the family and Mal sat down near the fireplace.

"Instead of thinking about what you would've dreamt of as a child, tell me about what you dream of now. Think back to when you first had feelings toward Ben."

"You'll recall I was trying to trick him." Belle laughed.

"I do, but I also know that there were other ways to try and steal the wand. Also, Ben told me about the lake, how scared you were he was still under water, trying to save him even though you could not swim. That moment alone told me that you loved him already. Besides, the spell was for him to love you, you loving him happened organically." Mal smiled at some of the memories and realized that she would, in time, need to give up beating herself up over what happened when she first met Ben. She and the VKs proved themselves 10 fold afterwards and her relationship with Ben was something she never could have hoped for.

"Think about when you made the choice to be good, always. When you put Ben's ring on and said that being with him makes you happy. Make choices from there honey." Mal thought about what Belle said and her thoughts were only interrupted when a servant knocked on the library door.

"Your majesty? Evie is here to see Lady Mal." Mal rolled her eyes a little: she wondered if there would ever be a time when she didn't find getting announced hilarious and weird.

"Show her in please." Belle stood up from her seat and went to clear some of the paperwork and books off her desk to give Evie some space for what she assumed would be drawings of Mal's dress. The door soon swung open and the blue haired VK entered the library carrying armfuls of her sketch pads and random swatches of fabrics.

"I will never get used to being announced when I'm just here to see my best friend." Mal laughed at Evie having the same struggle she had. She hugged her best friend, or she tried to and then quickly helped her to put her things down on the desk.

"Evie, you know that it is just one wedding right? How many drawings do you have?" Evie waved Mal off and pointed for her to sit down. Mal took a seat in one of the large arm chairs and Belle sat in the other, both of them staring at Evie as she unpacked her mobile studio.

"First off, it is not just one dress. It's a royal wedding Mal. I mean, it is THE royal wedding: crown prince of Auradon, now King, and a woman born and raised on the Isle of the Lost are bridging the gap between two countries more or less. That being said, I am counting on you needing about 4 dresses."

"4?!" Mal paled slightly and even Belle was surprised. Evie opened her planner and explained.

"Duh. Gown for the rehearsal, gown for the wedding, dress for the reception and lest we forget, a gown for your coronation." Mal still thought that that sounded like way too much and Belle interjected to offer some help.

"Evie, if Mal would like she is more than welcome to wear one of the dresses again for the coronation." Evie looked at her list, her calendar and her friend and agreed this might solve the need for 1 of the extra dresses. "What do you think M? 3 instead of 4?" Mal thought for a moment and turned to Belle.

"Is it written somewhere that my wedding and coronation have to be two separate events?" Belle thought about it carefully.

"Not that I know of." Mal smiled and turned to Evie, "how about 2 instead of 3. Put your energy in the wedding gown and the dress for the reception." Evie and Belle both smiled and had to give it to Mal, she just made less work for Evie and less situations where she needed to wear a fancy dress. Not that she didn't like getting dressed up, but fancy events made her nervous and not being in her comfy clothes at fancy events added to the anxiety.

The reminder of the afternoon Evie showed Mal and Belle fabrics, colors and designs. Evie took Mal's measurements one more time for good measure, even though as her best friend, she knew Mal's size already. Belle told Evie if she needed more room to make the gowns to let her know and she would make a room in the castle available for her second studio until the ceremony. Evie gathered her tools and started to put them away while chatting with Mal as Belle shelved some books behind them.

"Have you and Ben picked a place to go on your honeymoon yet?"

"We are still making decisions. He told me some places that he has heard good things about and now that I can actually swim we were leaning toward tropical, something on the beach at least."

"He knows you're gonna have to pack more than just a bathing suit right? That emergency kit is fashionable thanks to yours truly, but it is not a hand bag." Mal shot Evie a look to remind her that they were not alone and to drop the conversation.

"Right. Ok, well, I have to go run to finish some drawings for your bridesmaids dresses. I will call you later to see if you want any changes to them before I start on those as well." Evie left and Mal quickly set about helping Belle shelve some of her books. Belle waited to see if Mal wanted to share anything of her conversation with Evie with her and when she was met with silence she took a slight gamble and spoke up first.

"So you guys are still planning what to do for your honeymoon huh?"

"Yeah, I told Ben I'd be happy if I had him with me, doesn't really matter where we go. We could go on our honeymoon to the lake we had our first date at for all I care. Certainly would save us the hassle of traveling."

Belle nodded and push the conversation a little further. "Would save you having to pack much too." More silence met her and Belle eventually reached over and took the last book from Mal's hands.

"We could keep doing this or you could just tell me what Evie was talking about when she said emergency kit." Mal sometimes hated how smart Belle was. At home, with her mother, this detail never would've been noticed because, well, Maleficent was out for herself so whatever Mal was doing was not even on her radar. Belle on the other hand was the mother every kid deserved, but Mal still was not used to having that so these conversations always felt tense.

"It's not a real emergency kit. It's not like bandages and ice packs or whatever. It's just something we put together as kids and over the years we've changed it when I needed it to be something else." To Mal's credit she really tried to sell that vague answer, but Belle wasn't buying it.

"And what do you need it to be now?" Mal looked at Belle and asked her, "do you really want to know the answer to that question? Cuz once you know, you can't unknown it and it's not exactly pleasant."

"Honey, you don't have to tell me anything you don't want, you're an adult. But you CAN tell whatever you wish to share. I'm not gonna run for the hills."

"Don't be so sure." Mal nodded to the chairs and she and Belle sat down. "It's basically a mental health emergency kit. Evie made it for me when we were younger and it grew up with us. I keep things in there that help me feel better or safer if I am having a hard time emotionally. Usually it has one of my drawing pads, pencils, snacks and ear phones for music."

"That sounds like a good thing for people to have, so why the secret keeping about it."

"Not exactly something I like to advertise, especially now. I doubt seriously that the people who already don't want a VK for their queen, don't want a VK who is mentally ill to be their queen."

"Honey you need to try to stop putting yourself in that category. You are a VK yes, but you are much more than that. And honey, if there is one thing you won't be judged for in this house, its having struggles with mental health."

"In this house, sure. This kingdom? Not so sure." Belle understood, maybe better than most the scrutiny that can come from entering the royal family from a peasant household. But Mal had a much bigger mountain to climb and Belle knew that she might not understand every part of Mal's journey, but she wanted to try.

"Well, right now you are in this house, with me so if you want to talk about anything you can." Belle left the ball in Mal's court and started to stand up and turn to grab more books, but Mal reached out and grabbed her hand.

"I have really bad anxiety and panic attacks that get triggered by different things. The stuff in that kit help me calm down sometimes." Belle sat back down in her chair and waited, figuring Mal would say what she felt comfortable saying and then would stop on her own.

"Obviously if you are raised in a place where villains tend to take over the land, bad stuff is gonna happen to you by the time you are old enough to drive." Mal stopped and started to look like she was far away in her mind and Belle squeezed her hands and made her focus on her again.

"Listen sweetheart. You don't have to tell me more unless you want to, but you know you're safe here right?" Mal nodded and swallowed some tears she was trying to keep from falling.

"Ben knows. You should probably know to. Regular fights were common so that almost never phased anybody, but more personal assaults began to be a real threat once we all turned about 12 or 13. The 4 of us sort of protected each other, but there were times were couldn't always be there to save each other. I don't know if Jay will ever forgive himself for what happened, even though it wasn't his fault."

Belle swallowed the fear in her throat and asked, "forgive himself for what honey?"

Mal steadied her breath and briefly explained, "Evie and I were meeting up with him and Carlos on night to go hang out at our loft. Carlos got sick and couldn't go anywhere, so Jay said he would meet us there once he made sure Carlos was all set. Evie and I went ahead and, ran into some lower level villain's kids. They followed us for a while, cat calling, grabbing at us all that and it's not like that was a new thing for us so we kept walking. They followed us and eventually they didn't like that we ignored their advances and told them to leave us alone. So they did something about it." Mal was trying REALLY hard to not say the word and admit totally what had happened to her and Evie, and in a way she didn't need to: Belle understood what she was hinting at and she could guess how the story ended.

"Honey? Do you want to tell me what happened exactly or would you like me to just guess because I have a good idea of what happened? Which would make you feel better?" Mal again got stuck in her thoughts and her memories and was by now gripping Belle's hands in a vice grip.

"Guess." Mal forced the word out in a voice just above a whisper and her voice shook as she did it. She quickly sank to the floor in front of the chair and her breathing was rapid and erratic, prompting Belle to sit next to her and try and get her back to reality.

"Mal. Mal, honey you need to listen to my voice ok? I'm right here, I'm not going to hurt you and you are safe here ok? Just tell me what I can do." Belle feared touching Mal would cause her to react in fear and would make matters worse. Mal tried to quiet her mind and make sense of her racing memories and thoughts, but she was stuck in the cycle of flashbacks and she needed to get pulled out of it. Belle couldn't very well leave her in that state so she quickly went to the door and had one of the guards run to get Ben who she assumed and hope would know what to do. Belle returned to Mal and sat a bit closer to her.

"Honey. I'm going to sit right here and I am just going to rest my hand against your hand ok? I won't hold your hand unless you want me to. You tell me how much you want to be touched ok." Belle laid her hand, palm facing up, against Mal's hand and waited. She didn't need to wait long as she felt Mal grab her hand as tightly as she had it before. Mal eventually fell against Belle and continued to cry. While that situation unfolded, the guard that Belle had instructed to find Ben came in.

"Your majesty, I apologize, the King is not on the property."

"Where is he? He has meetings all day today."

"Yes, your Grace, but his Majesty's meeting got moved and he was in the car on his way there. We alerted his driver and his Majesty gave the order to return to the castle. He will be here within the hour." Belle released the guard to return to his post outside the door, knowing Mal didn't need an audience. Belle thought about things to try and help Mal and in her panic she wanted to call Evie or Ben and ask what to do, but she questioned if that would cause Mal to feel embarrassed or otherwise shamed. As Belle weighed her options she decided that while she never handed this type of a situation with Ben, she was a mother and on some level she had the capability to at least offer Mal comfort and support. The Queen pulled Mal close to her, careful not to grip the young woman too tightly and cause her to panic.

"Mal? Listen honey. Ben is on his way home, but it might take a minute so in the mean time you and I can just stay in here for a long as you want, ok. And we can talk or we can stay quiet, you just let me know what I can do when you are ready." Mal all but climbed into Belle's lap and stayed eerily still for the next 30 minutes. As time wore on she was able to calm down a bit and was no longer crying.

"I'm sorry." Belle was pulled from her thoughts when Mal apologized.

"What on earth are you apologizing for honey? You did nothing wrong."

"I freaked out and it probably scared you."

"Mal. You didn't scare me. Was I upset for you? Sure, I still am, but you don't scare me honey. Plus, if anyone deserved to fall apart a little bit it was you." Mal ran her finger across Belle's dress like a little kid being held by their mom.

"Ben is probably worried."

"He might be, but he also knows you are with me and I wouldn't let anything happen to you." Of course, seconds later the door opened and the sharp entrance made Mal flinch slightly, but she heard Ben's voice at the same time so she knew it was him. Ben rounded the chairs to find Mal in his mother's lap still and his heart sank because he has held Mal just that way before and it breaks his heart every time.

"Hey, sorry it took so long, we hit some traffic." Ben sat near his mother and offered her a quick kiss on her cheek. "Hey Mal, how about I walk you back to your room so you can get some rest?" Mal reached out and took his hand, but shook her head.

"I'm ok." Ben sighed and got down so he was laying opposite of Mal. "No, baby, you aren't. And that's ok, but you gotta rest or you'll burn out. Let me take you to your room and get you set up in there for a bit."

"I don't want to be by myself." Ben nodded and rubbed Mal's hand. "You won't be. Dad is going to go to my last meetings for me and I will stay with you."

"Ben, you can't do that. You are the King, you can't just cancel meetings to spend time with your crazy fiancé ."

"Hey. You aren't crazy and you and I both know that. This is trauma Mal, people deal with it differently. And I don't care if I'm King, if I can't prioritize my wife and family then what kind of leader could I possibly be to my people." Ben stood up and called for the guard outside who came running.

"Send someone to Lady Mal's room and have it turned down for her and please ask the kitchen to make her something to eat." The guard left and Ben leaned down to Mal, "want to walk or shall I sweep my lady off her feet?" Mal smiled which shouldn't have surprised Belle, but it did. Ben didn't actually wait for an answer and instead scooped Mal up from his mother's lap and began to carry her out of the room. Belle followed them as they walked the corridor that led to the other part of the residence where Mal's room was. Ben put Mal down right outside her room and told her he would go change out of his suit and into more comfortable clothes and be right back. Mal agreed and went into her room to change and splash water on her face. Ben closed the door behind her and nodded for his mother to follow him as he walked.

"Thank you for staying with her, traffic was insane and I foolishly thought this would never happen when she was with other people."

"I think I might have caused it Ben. She and Evie were talking and I asked about it when Evie left and it just unraveled from there. Had I known I never would've asked or pried."

"No. I should have known that she would get triggered somewhere when I wasn't around. She just started seeing a therapist about this so she's working on it and I go with her sometimes to help, but it'll take time. She just gets really upset with herself when she is triggered and has flashbacks or panic attacks. She doesn't want people to think they have a Queen who is crazy. Her words, not mine."

"Well, that is a discussion for another day. Right now, why don't you change and go spend the afternoon with her and I will check in with your father about those meetings and we can fill you in after dinner?"

"Thanks mom." Ben offered his mother another kiss before he retreated into his room. Belle headed toward the other wing of the castle where her husband no doubt was sitting in meetings for his son.

**Ok, so obviously the wedding is gonna have to be several chapters. I haven't decided if its gonna be 2 or 3 chapters yet and I am gonna add Mal's coronation into the wedding chapter. Let me know what ya'll think. **


	3. Finally a Wedding Part 2

As the wedding date neared, there was no shortage of parties to celebrate the new marriage and the upcoming coronation of the soon to be Queen. During the days Mal would spend time with Evie doing the final fittings of her gown and her dress for the wedding and the party respectfully. Evie was also in charge of the attire for the wedding party almost entirely: she was making her own dress, Jane's dress as she was the bridesmaid with Evie being MOH, Carlos and Jay's suits along with Ben's more casual suit for the party after the wedding ceremony photos had been taken. As they got to the day before the wedding the entire kingdom was in a state of excitement: the school let out early that day, people were only asked to work half day at their jobs and just about everyone was gearing up to watch the royal wedding on their TVs since the majority of the kingdom was not coming to the wedding in the cathedral.

Back at the palace, Belle watched as everyone ran around and she recalled that the last time the palace was this chaotic was when Ben was born and baptized. She made her way into the residence wing of the palace and went into the Bridal suite that had been built into the castle many years ago. Evie was sitting on one of the couches with Ben's tux in her arms and she was making last minute alterations. Belle offered her a smile that seemed to ask where Mal was. Evie pointed to the partition.

"She should be done getting dressed any minute. We just did her last fitting and everything looks perfect. I just want to reinforce a seam on Ben tux for tomorrow evening and our clothes will be all set."

"I'm sure you will all look beautiful and handsome. Almost makes me wish I had asked you to make my dress."

"Maybe when someone gives me a niece or nephew I can make your dress for their christening." Belle smiled and shook Evie's hand. "You got a deal." Mal came out from the behind the partition wearing her regular clothes. She offered Belle a smile and turned to Evie, "I hung the dress back up, but we should get going cuz they need to start doing my hair by 3pm so we can be on time for the rehearsal dinner."

"Did you girls decide on where you'll stay tonight?"

Mal nodded and pointed to Evie as she put Ben's tux in the garment bag, "we're going to stay at Evie's, have a VK slumber party. That way the boys are with us for getting dressed in the morning, we make sure they don't sleep through every alarm we set and this way Ben won't accidently see me before the wedding. Not that I cared about that tradition, but my maid of honor is insistent that our marriage would be ruined if my husband sees me before he kisses me in lots front of lots of cameras and the general public." Belle had to laughed and Evie rolled her eyes as she handed the tux over the Belle to give to Ben.

"Just admit that deep down you think it's a fun idea. Plus, I want one more night with my sister before you become someone's wife." Mal still rolled her eyes, but deep down she wanted one more night with her friends who were, in fact, her family.

"Well, after dinner is finished your security detail will follow you to Evie's and do a sweep and they'll stay with you there for the evening so if you need anything just tell them. Have fun getting ready and I will see you at dinner ok?" Mal gave Belle a quick hug before the older woman left and the two younger women left to make it to their appointments.

Later that evening, Mal was sitting in her room waiting for the party to begin and Belle quickly joined her to help her finish zipping up her gown and fussing over last minute questions Mal almost always had due to her nerves.

"What if I forget what I wanted to say? Or I forget to thank people? Or I start to cough? Or…" Bella raised her hands and gently laid them on Mal's shoulders. "Darling, relax. This is not a royal decree and even those we write down so just take a breath. It is just a small speech that you and Ben make after dinner to begin the wedding celebration for the following days. Adam and I gave one and I think it was a 2 minute speech all total and most of it was just us telling other people how happy we were to finally be celebrating our marriage with them and the kingdom. And remember what I said, Ben knows what to say politically speaking and you just speak from the heart ok." Mal nodded and swallowed the lump in her throat just as the guard outside alerted her to the guests finally being settled which signaled the need for the family to make their entrance. Belle and Adam went first and waited at the base of the staircase for Ben and Mal to be announced.

"Presenting, His Majesty, Benjamin the King of Auradon." Ben stepped forward from the opposite side of the hall and stood in the center of the top of the staircase, waiting for Mal to join him. "Joining His Majesty, his betrothed, Lady Mal." Mal slowly walked over to Ben who smiled and offered his arm to her before they began to walk down the stairs. Once at the base of the stairs Ben walked with Mal over to the head of the table where they were at the absolutely end of the table with Belle and Adam on either side of them. Once everyone was seated and food was served, small conversation popped up across the table. Some people asked Ben questions about the wedding, others asked Mal, every now and then someone would ask a random question about politics. Mal would catch sight of Jay and Carlos stuffing their faces or Evie being very posed and she was grateful to be able to share this night and all the wedding prep with her dear friends who were her only family for such a long time.

Mal found herself enjoying herself at the party and actually feeling more comfortable with being at Ben's side when he discussed matters of state with other rulers. She had learned over the years and was now able to more or less hold her own in those discussions. She held no power until she actually became Queen, but her knowledge of the Isle was invaluable to Ben and to the kingdom as a whole and her natural leadership qualities were evident. As the evening wore on Ben was instructed by his mother to offer a few words to his guests before Mal and he separated for the evening, only to see each other again at the ceremony. Ben took Mal's hand and they went to stand on the bottom step of the staircase.

"What if I say something stupid?" Ben smiled at Mal and shook his head, "impossible, you are far too smart to say anything stupid. Besides, nothing you say is ever stupid." Ben tapped his glass with his ring to make a loud enough noise to call attention to himself and Mal. The dinner guests quickly silenced themselves and turned to the staircase.

"Before we say goodnight for the evening, Mal and I both wanted to address our guests. First, we would like to thank you all profusely for coming together in this space to celebrate not only our marriage, but our love. Plenty of people questioned my choice to open the Isle of the Lost for even a few children to cross the barrier, but the question of whether it was correct or not has been, in my mind, forever put to rest. It is my hope that we learn from the generation before us, that blind fear of the unknown is no reason to isolate people we don't understand. Bringing the Isle back as part of Auradon is long overdue and I look forward to the new age that will be ushered in by not building walls between us, but tearing them down." People clapped and smiled, raising their glasses briefly to toast Ben's words. Ben nodded to Mal who took a deep breath.

"It should come as no surprise that this was a moment I never thought I'd experience. When you grow up where I did, you don't dream of becoming a princess, never mind a Queen. But more than that I never dreamt of finding someone who would love me so completely, knowing all my faults and flaws. I was fortunate, however, to have friends I grew up with; friends who were my family when I felt my family I was born into had failed me. These perfectly flawed kids of villains, but they…we have always been much more than that. We wanted what all children wanted, but circumstances we were born into denied us that, but fate gave us each other so we were never truly alone. We were the only child in our families and yet we became a fierce foursome of brothers and sisters and we stood by each other: a level of loyalty that I rarely see in ones as young as we are. We are perfect examples of what can happen when you love the child who you claim is acting out for attention. We did act out and I can personally say I did things I will always regret, but the thing I don't regret was trying one more time to connect with people. I don't regret coming here, despite my initial goal. I don't regret making friends, I don't regret learning. I don't regret falling in love. And above all, I do not regret building a bridge between the life I thought I was stuck in and the life I never had the guts to dream of: perhaps my only regret, was not having done it sooner. I know being a leader of any kind is a sizable challenge, and being Queen is a title that I felt was synonymous with women far greater that I will ever hope to be. However, I have good friends who have my back, a family who is cheering for me and a love to stand by me while we figure this out together, so I know I have the tools I need to be a good Queen to the people of this land, though I fear I might never be a great as the women who led before me. That was a very long winded way of saying, thank you, to everybody for giving a chance to show you that not all who wander are lost." Mal stopped talking and Ben couldn't have been prouder; the same could be said for his parents and the other VKs. Ben held up his glass once more, "to the future Queen of Auradon."

Jay yelled from a few feet away, "to the future King and Queen of Auradon, long may they reign." People held up glasses and cheered for the couple as they kissed briefly. While Belle and Adam handled saying goodbye and goodnight to the guests, the boys helped Mal and Evie load the last of the clothes for the wedding into the car that would take them to Evie's home. Mal, Carlos and Jay had all already stored their sleep gear at her home in the previous weeks, so once the car was ready, the guards would escort them to their resting place for the evening. Ben watched as they loaded the few bags that were left and of course Mal's dress which was protected under the garment bag. Before they loaded into the car, Ben held Mal's hands and smiled.

"You know this is last time I get to hold your hand and kiss you without you being my wife."

"That's true, and it would be a shame to waste that time just talking about kissing me." Ben smiled, kissed Mal deeply and pulled back just a little in order to look at her.

"I am really glad that tomorrow I get to marry you. We deserve to start our life together in a big way."

"For the record, I am really glad I get to marry you tomorrow as well. Try to get some actual sleep though ok?" Ben nodded and looked to Evie, "you'll make sure my blushing bride sleeps well right Evie?"

"You can count on me Ben." Ben kissed Mal once more before holding the door open for her and Evie to get in.

"I love you." Mal smiled as Ben shut the door and out the open window she assured him, "love you more." Ben smiled and tapped the car roof to indicate Jay could drive on and he watched his fiancé and his friends leave, knowing in his heart the next time he saw them all would be at his wedding.

When they got to Evie's, the guards assigned to Mal's protection cleared the house assuring the four of them that they were set for the night. One guard was assigned to be in the home while the others were in charge of having a perimeter around the house. Not that they thought anyone would try and hurt Mal, it was more so to keep the press away from the future Queen in private settings. Mal ran through the shower while the boys watched TV and Evie laid out everything she would need for the following morning. When Mal came into Evie's room she flopped on Evie's bed with a content sigh.

"Anyone else find it surreal that when we get up in the morning, we're going to my wedding?"

"Not any weirder than the idea that at the end of your wedding you'll also be Queen." Jay pointed out as he hit pause on the TV.

Mal looked at the boys and observed Evie as she finished laying out the last bit of make up for them both for the morning. "I know it's cheesy, but I am really glad we all decided to be together tonight. I know being married doesn't make us not friends, but my life gets much busier and eventually you'll all want to get married or really chase your careers and it's easy to forget to stay in touch with your friends."

"Then it's a damn good thing we aren't friends. Friends you might forget, but you don't forget family." Carlos offered Mal a smile and Jay high fived him. For her part Evie finally came over and climbed in bed next to Mal.

"Carlos is right. Family means forever and you getting married just means our family is getting bigger. And all I can say is that Ben is a BIG step up from any man I ever assumed we'd have to marry on the Isle." Mal laughed and she realized how right Evie was: they were beyond lucky.

Their conversation was cutoff when the guard assigned to the inside of the home knocked on the door and Mal gave permission to enter.

"Sorry to interrupt your highness, but I just wanted to check in before we locked it down for the night. Anyone need anything from the car or anything from outside at all?" He was met with a lot of shaking heads.

"I think we are all set for the night David, thank you."

"Of course your highness, if you need anything I will be just down the hall to give you all a bit of privacy, but just holler if you need me. Everyone else is in their posts downstairs. So if there is nothing else, I will leave you to your nighttime prep and getting some good sleep. Important day tomorrow your highness." The man smiled and Mal remembered why she always liked when he was her body guard.

"David, we've been over this: I'm not a princess, you don't have to call me your highness." The man smiled again, brief checked his watch when it beeped and he looked back to Mal. "Right you are, it's past midnight so it would be inappropriate to call you 'your highness'. Goodnight your Majesty." Mal shook her head and laughed, "goodnight David". The man closed the door and Mal looked back to her friends.

"We should get some sleep before we stay up all night and I look like crap at my own wedding." Mal and Evie settled into Evie's bed which was plenty big for the two of them, leaving Jay to sleep on the couch and Carlos to sleep on the blow up mattress. And so for one final night, all 4 VKs slept on under the same roof just as they had done all their lives, all of them knowing full well, that come the morning, all their lives would change.

**So the next chapter will be the actually ceremony.**


	4. Finally a Wedding Part 3

**Sorry for the delay, things picked up a bit at work. Hope you all like the update.**

Mal woke up that morning and was surprised that it wasn't the blare of the alarm that woke her. A quick glance to the clock told her that her alarm was about 3 minutes from going off and Mal decided to get up before the device started blaring a shrill noise. She left the second alarm on so that the others would be woken up. She carefully climbed out of bed and stood before the window, looking out over the garden and past the line of trees. Mal could see the sun just having risen and she enjoyed the silence and stillness, knowing full well that this day would be a happy one for sure, but calm and peace was going to be rare. Her silence was eventually broken when the alarm went off and the boys both groaned as the turned over, while Evie seemed to pop out of bed with ease, clapping her hands as she went.

"Rise and shine my friends, we have a wedding to dress for. You guys go eat something quickly and use the bathroom downstairs. Mal, quick shower for you, followed by something to eat and breathing teeth so I can get to work on make up." Evie rattled off orders like a General in war time, but she was so happy about it that it was hard to argue with her. The boys quickly went downstairs to start breakfast, followed by Mal and Evie who walked arm in arm down the hall.

"So, hows it feel, your wedding day?"

"It feels good, like I am still weirdly calm. I'm sure that will change."

"Or maybe not. Maybe you two have been together long enough that this moment feels right, as well it should. I don't know two people alive who have earned this moment more than you and Ben."

"Couldn't have gotten here without my best friends."

"We are pretty great."

The four VKs quickly ate breakfast and the boys went into the downstairs bathroom to begin to clean up and get dressed. They had worked out that the boys needed to be dressed before they got to the church, leaving time for Evie to get dressed in the Bridal suite with Mal. Jane would join them in the suite before it was time to process in. Back upstairs, once Mal was ready, Evie had her friend sitting in the hot seat as it were and had begun her make up. What would have taken the average women maybe 45 minutes to do, Evie did in 30 minutes. Leaving touch ups and a finally layer of lipstick for when they got to the church, she turned her attention to Mal's hair: she made sure Mal's hair held its curl while allowing it to lay somewhat flat, considering that they would be putting a crown on it as well. She braided Mal's hair in an intricate design around the crown of her head, knowing that when a real crown was placed there it would be hidden, but for the wedding it would look lovely. Mal knew her best friend was talented, but Evie outdid herself in this situation.

Evie did her own make up effortlessly and Mal helped her with a few details of her own hair before they both agreed they were done with what they could do at Evie's. The boys were ready, dressed, hair combed and all so after double checking they had everything, Evie notified the security team that they were ready to leave for the main castle where they would dress and take a carriage to the church. Even getting near the castle was ridiculous in terms of the sheer number of people who lined the street. Once they reached the castle, the four of them were brought in through a private entrance and quickly brought to the bridal suite. Jane met them in the dressing suite and she and Evie put their dresses on and made sure they were 100% ready before they turned their attention to helping Mal get in her dress.

Mal stepped into the dress and Evie carefully moved it all the way up her body and then zipped her in. As she was laying out Mal's shoes there was a knock at the door and they heard Jay's voice on the other side. Jane went to go answer it while Evie finished with the bride.

"Ready to show of your dress to the boys?" Mal looked at herself in the mirror and she couldn't believe this was really happening to her.

"You know. I have worn this dress a handful of times so you could make alterations to it and it always looked beautiful, but today, it looks extra beautiful and I cannot believe it is my wedding dress. I guess it just seems very real now and I never thought this day would come." Evie wrapped her arms carefully around her friend and smiled.

"Well it did come and frankly, no other woman in this kingdom deserves a happy day like today as much as you do. I'm glad something I made could be a part of it."

"E I don't ever want a major life event to be celebrate in my life without me wearing something you made me."

"As you wish, your Grace." Mal rolled her eyes and pushed her friend's shoulder.

"Ready?" Mal took a deep breath and nodded. Evie went around the partition and cued the photographer to be ready for reaction shots of the boys and it was a good thing she did because both boys almost fell over the moment Mal stepped into view. The dress looked stunning, which surprised literally no one, but it was the way Mal looked when she was in it that stunned them all. Yes, she looked beautiful, but more than that, she looked happy: something her friends were happy to see.

"You look amazing Mal. Really beautiful." Mal gave Carlos a brief hug and Jay put his hands on either side of Mal's shoulders, "Ben might literally fall over when he sees you, who could blame him. Carlos is right, you look beautiful." He offer his friend a gentle kiss on her cheek and Mal smiled; the boys didn't always tap into their softer emotions, but for this they did, for her they did. Evie did some touch up to Mal's make-up and added the pop of lipstick now that she was totally dressed and this allowed for more photos to be taken. When Evie checked everything off her list of things that needed to be done she sent Jane and the boys outside the bridal suite and turned to face her best friend.

"I'm all done, you are all dressed and I think Ben might faint from anxiety if I get you to the church late. But, the question is: are you ready for this?" Mal tried to calm her shaking hands, but she just kept playing with them.

"You'll be with me right?" Evie took her friends hands in hers and made Mal focus on her.

"This may be your wedding day and at the end of the day you will be Ben's wife and Queen, but let me assure you of something. There is no title you will EVER hold that will stop me from being right by your side. You are my best friend and my sister and I would walk through a brick wall for you. I know walking down the aisle is scary to you, but you don't have to be scared because I am walking in front of you and I won't let anything hurt you, you know that. Where you go, I go." Mal would've cried if her make up wasn't already on. She hugged her best friend deeply and nodded to the door.

"Tell the guards I'm ready and have the boys ready to walk to the carriage." Evie went to the door and gave David and the security team the all clear, thus setting off the chain of events that would bring the 4 VKs to the church. The carriage was alerted that Mal was en route and the boys stood ready to walk arm in arm with the girls, acting as their escorts to the carriage. Mal waited for a few minutes when a knock came and David opened the door just wide enough to poke his head in.

"We are ready out here your Grace so whenever you are ready."

Mal nodded her head and smiled, "I'm ready, and you really do not have to call me that David." The security guard opened the door all the way and stood tall, straightening his uniform as he did.

"As of right now, I do." David offered Mal his hand and she took it, allowing him to walk her into the hallway and down the stairs where Jay, Carlos and Evie we waiting in formation. David gently handed Mal off to Jay and stepped away.

"God speed your Majesty." David bowed before returning to his post in front of the four VKs. He clicked on his walkie talkie and informed the security teams across the kingdom, "the dragon has flown, repeat, dragon has flown'. David gave the command for the security team to move out which promoted the rest of them to begin walking down the final hall that led out of the castle and to the carriage. From where they stood, Mal could hear the crowds outside cheering, and as they neared the doors they could hear the trumpets blaring, signaling the entrance of the royal family, or in this case, just Mal. Evie and Carlos were brought through the doors first, with Carlos heling Evie into the carriage before waiting on Mal. Mal then gave Jay a brief nod and they soon stepped into the sunlight and the roar of the crowd grew. Mal didn't have to smile her normal political smile, today it was genuine. She waved with her free hand and was soon helped into the carriage by Jay and Carlos, who then quickly joined the girls in the booth of the carriage.

The drive to the church was exactly the same as it had been during Ben's coronation so Mal knew that it would be a slow procession. Unlike Ben's coronation however, there was much more waving, but Mal didn't seem to mind: today, unlike that day, she was deliriously happy and there was little fear of her mother ruining things.

She waved as the rode by thousands of people and she was amazed at how the last few years had changed things for all of them.

"Who would've thought the worst VKs the isle had to offer would one day be waving from a horse drawn carriage on their way for one of them to marry the King." Her friends nodded, but Jay quickly pointed out something that Mal had said to him often over the years, "we aren't just VKs anymore Mal and we were always so much more than that. Evie is creative and talented and wicked smart, Carlos can run faster than anyone back home, I like playing sports with other people and you have a brain for politics and a passion for helping people. We are our own people now, the Isle doesn't get to lay claim to us anymore, we did this. So, to me it's not that far-fetched that this is where we ended up: if anyone deserves a happy freaking ending its everyone in this damn carriage, you most of all."

"Anyone ever tell you that you should go into public speaking Jay?" Mal nudged her best friend after his lovely speech and they all continued to wave and smile. They made the final turn before the church and the crowd seemed more dense and full of people. They pulled in front of the church and the boys gently exited the carriage as now there were many more cameras on them all. They each offered their hands to Evie and once she was safely out of the carriage she and Carlos made their way toward the steps. Jay reached his hand out for Mal and with David quickly offering his hand as well, they helped her out of the carriage. Once they had Mal on even footing, David stepped back took a deep bow and quickly stood up straight.

"God speed, your Majesty." David smiled at Mal before he turned toward the church and began to walk with the rest of the security detail, leaving Jay to take Mal's hand and walk the steps. Once at the top of the stairs, Mal turned to wave behind her as she had been instructed to do for photos. When an appropriate amount of time had passed she once again took Jay's arm and was led into the church. With Mal and the rest of the wedding party finally inside the music in the church itself changed. During the time it took for the officiant to welcome the congregation and offer prayers for the ceremony, the VKs we lined up behind the second rows of doors that led into the main chapel of the church. Mal heard the music change to the music Belle and Adam usually walked in to, which told her that they were now being introduced and seated. She knew that meant that Ben would be next and that right after that came her. She seemed lost in thought when she felt Evie grab her hand.

"It's gonna be alright Mal. You look beautiful and are going to rock this."

"What if I can't do this Evie, I'm some runt from the Isle, not a queen. And what if I suck at being married?" Evie waved her hand in front of Mal's face to silence her.

"Listen to me, carefully. You are not a runt. Yeah, you come from the Isle, we all do, but Jay is right Mal. We are so much more than that. Your past makes you compassionate and fair and I don't know two better attributes of a queen than that. And Ben loves you, completely, and I know you love him the same. You've got this and you've got us." The boys nodded their approval. Evie put her hand in the middle of the 4 of them, "start together." The others added their hands, one by one, with Mal being last, "end together". This moment, while captured by the photographer was disrupted by David waiting to give the cue to change the music. They all fell in line again, this time for the real thing. With the music changed, the guards opened the doors and everyone in the church stood up waiting for Mal. Jane walked ahead of the 4, once she was half way down the aisle Evie followed, leaving the boys with Mal. With Jane and Evie settled at the altar, the boys fell into place and waited. The music changed for the final time, a song that Mal had heard in a movie that had more personality than a normal wedding march. When the music swelled Mal stepped out and up so she was standing between the boys. Jay and Carlos each held out their arm, which Mal gentle accepted from each of them. They walked slowly and even though Mal was certain she hated having this many people looking at her while she walked, she felt safe with her friends literally holding her up.

The crowd was vast so it took a minute before Mal saw Ben standing on the alter, but when she saw him all her anxiety seemed to melt away and instead tears threatened to fall. For his part, Ben stood in a state of shock as he watched his bride walk toward him with her friends. He smiled and brushed away tears but he was so happy in that moment that nothing could have bothered him. As they neared the alter, Ben took steps down to meet his soon to be wife at the stairs leading to the alter. When the music faded out, the officiant looked to Mal and the boys.

"Who gives this woman to this man?" Evie made a face at Jay because she knew he wanted to say something sassy about how Mal didn't need anyone to give her away cuz she was a person, not a cow or a horse. Just as Jay was about to do what Evie had begged him to do without attitude, Mal held her hand up to stop him, "I give myself to this man, as I am not livestock". The whole church laughed and Ben couldn't have been prouder if he tried. Carlos went and stood behind Ben and Jay reached for the young King's hand. As he placed Mal's hand in Ben's, he offered his friend a kiss on her cheek and quickly leaned in closely to Ben, "if you break her heart, and I find out about it, I will make sure she rules alone." Mal smiled, and Ben nodded, not for one second doubting the sincerity behind Jay's warning. Jay joined Carlos just off to Ben's side, allowing Ben and Mal to take a few steps so they were standing in front of the officiant.

"We are gathered today to celebrate the official beginning of a new marriage and to officially begin the reign of this two monarchs with the coronation of the new Queen of Auradon." The officiant went on for a bit, explaining things that bored Ben to tears and that Mal couldn't pretend to be interested in past a gentle smile. They instead looked at each other and got lost in the moment, only shaken from it when Ben's name was called by the officiant.

"Benjamin."

"I do." The church seemed to erupt in laughter and Ben realized the officiant was not at that part yet and was instead instructing Ben to take the ring he had just blessed.

"Your majesty, place this ring on your bride's hand and proclaim you ring exchange vows." Ben took the gold ring and slowly placed it on Mal's hand as he spoke, "This ring I give to you as a token of my love and devotion to you. I pledge to you all that I am and all that I will ever be as your husband. With this ring, I gladly marry you and join my life to yours." Ben was grinning like an idiot when he looked up at Mal after securing the ring. Mal was then instructed to take the other ring and do the same, "This ring I give to you as a token of my love and devotion to you. I pledge to you all that I am and all that I will ever be as your wife. With this ring, I gladly marry you and join my life to yours." At that point both Ben and Mal would have been happy to just skip to the I do part, but they had to be blessed, prayers had to be said, laws had to be honored. In time, they arrived to the finally vows exchange.

"I, Ben , take you, Mal, to be my friend, my lover, the mother of my children and my wife. I will be yours in times of plenty and in times of want, in times of sickness and in times of health, in times of joy and in times of sorrow, in times of failure and in times of triumph. I promise to cherish and respect you, to care and protect you, to comfort and encourage you, and stay with you, for all eternity."

Mal took a deep shaky breath and tearfully repeated the vows, "I, Mal , take you, Ben, to be my friend, my lover, the father of my children and my husband. I will be yours in times of plenty and in times of want, in times of sickness and in times of health, in times of joy and in times of sorrow, in times of failure and in times of triumph. I promise to cherish and respect you, to care and protect you, to comfort and encourage you, and stay with you, for all eternity."

"Ben and Mal, look upon each other and embrace this person you have promised yourself to as your spouse and sovereign. May your marriage be strong, fulfilling, passionate and as unwavering as your devotion to the throne you now shall share till your days end. Let this blessing wash over you, your marriage and your reign with these words as promises to yourselves and your people."

"Benjamin, do you take Mal to be your lawfully wedded wife and Queen?"

"I do." Ben had the dumbest grin on his face and no one could remember ever seeing him that happy.

"Mal, do you take Ben to be your lawfully wedded husband and King?"

"I do." The officiant held the couples hands together as he offered his final blessing.

"May the blessings of life, the joy of love, the peace of truth, and the wisdom and strength of spirit, be your constant companion, now and always, as I now pronounce you husband and wife. You Majesty you may kiss the bride." Mal never knew kissing Ben in that moment would feel different, but it did. Knowing her was her husband now was powerful and beautiful and everything she dreamt of. The applause in the church was thunderous and beautiful and Mal could hardly believe this was just the first half of her day.

**So I split up this chapter as well because it was getting so long. I'll do the coronation next.**


	5. Finally A Queen

**Sorry for the wait you guys. Prepping for the holiday kept me busy.**

When the applause ended after the couple shared their first kiss as a married couple the officiant looked up to address the whole church as well as those watching at home.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I now invite Fairy Godmother up to the alter to proceed with the coronation of the next Queen of Auradon." As the officiant stepped aside he led Ben with him, instructing the young King to sit on his throne where he was expected to watch this event until it was time for the two of them to stand together for a blessing. Fairy Godmother stood in front of Mal, wand in hand and even she had to admit that the woman standing before her was not the same girl who came from the Isle, hell bent on ruling everything.

"Do you solemnly swear to govern the people of Auradon and the Isle with justice and mercy as long as you shall reign?" Mal nodded her head softly, "I do solemnly swear." Fairy Godmother motioned for Belle to come close to her and she gently bowed her head to allow her ceremonial crown to be removed from her own head. Belle caught Mal's gaze and winked at her, causing the young woman to smile as she waited for the crown to be placed on her head. Fairy Godmother held the crown high above her head.

"This crown served as a symbol of power, peace and unification for our land for the last 2 decades. In that time, we as a nation have been changed profoundly and yet the crown remains ever the same. A symbol of unchanging dignity, grace and strength, let whoever shall wear this crown acknowledge that while the weight of this gold is heavy, it is only worn by those strong enough to stand tall when wearing it." Fairy Godmother then instructed Mal to kneel before her and gently placed the crown on her head and they were not kidding…that thing was heavy. As Mal stood she gently turned around to face the crowd of people in the church.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you today for the first time, Her Majesty, Queen Mal, ruler of Auradon and the Isle. Long may she reign." The crowd responded in kind and then applauded and cheered for Mal. Mal felt like she was exposed as she stood there with a huge grin on her face, but she was soon joined by Ben at her side. He too was wearing his crown and her gently took her hand.

Fairy Godmother stood in front of the couple, beaming as she took note that they both looked very grown up as they stood before her.

"Your Majesties, as you go forward together as King and Queen, husband and wife, may you shoulder the responsibility to all your people with humility and grace. May you work tirelessly in bringing a forgotten piece of this kingdom back into the fold and raising those who live there up so that they too might enjoy the blessings of a long and fulfilling life. May your reign be long and peaceful and may your marriage be blessed with the same. May you find strength for the coming years in each other and may all generations that come after you know that true leaders bring nations together with the ultimate goal of peace." Turning briefly to those gathered in the church, Fairy Godmother addressed them, "Ladies and Gentlemen, Lords and Ladies, I present to you for the first time, King Benjamin and Queen Mal. Long may they reign!"

"Long may they reign!" The words echoed throughout the church and was followed by cheers from all those in attendance and the roar could be heard from outside. Ben took Mal's hand and began to process out of the church, knowing they would need to stop for photos at the doors of the church and taking into consideration that they must walk slower with the crowns on their heads. As they made their way to the doors, Ben told the guards to wait.

"You ready for this? Cuz once they open these doors, it all changes for us."

Mal took a breath and looked at Ben, "things have already changed for us in case you haven't noticed this crown on my head." Ben smiled and Mal clinched his hand a little tighter. "You'll be with me right?"

"Till the death." Mal smiled, "easy there buddy, no death today, but I appreciate the sentiment. Then yes, I am ready." Without breaking her eye contact with Ben, Mal shouted behind her, "David?"

"Your Majesty?"

"We're ready, open the doors."

"Yes your majesty." David clicked into his walkie talkie, "fly the dragon, fly the wolf." This signaled the team outside to throw the doors of the church open, revealing the new couple and newly crowned Queen. The roar of the crowd was somehow louder the longer the couple stood there. Photos were taken of the newly formed royal family, a few of the wedding party, knowing that more would be taken at the party. Those in charge of guarding the crown jewels took the crowns from the new King and Queen and escorted to them to the vault they were stored for security reasons. Mal and Ben waved to the crowd as they walked down the steps to the carriage and before they climbed up they turned to every single angle to thank well-wishers. Ben helped Mal up into the carriage before getting in himself. They both knew that while they waved and smiled, they should save their strength because their reception would likely steal the rest of their energy, but they both couldn't help but look forward to celebrating their brand new marriage.

**Reception will be next, let me know if you want to see anything in particular.**


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